MORGANTOWN, West Virginia — Yesterday, it was announced that Desiree Reed-Francois was leaving the University of Missouri to become the new director of athletics at Arizona. Missouri will now conduct a search for its new Athletic Director and current West Virginia AD Wren Baker is said to be a top candidate for the position.
It’s unclear whether Baker has any interest in the position, but many supporters of Missouri feel that Baker would be the best person for the job. Earlier today, the Columbia-Missourian released its “top eight candidates to take over Missouri athletics’, and Baker was once again near the top of the list.
Baker was mentioned second behind current Memphis athletic director Laird Veatch with the following said about him:
“Baker has served as athletic director for the Mountaineers since 2022. Baker, an Oklahoma native, has taken jobs in Missouri in two different stints, first as athletic director at Northwest Missouri State from 2010-13 and most notably as deputy director of athletics at Mizzou from 2015-16, when he was the chief of staff under Mack Rhoades. Baker was appointed interim athletic director at Missouri in July 2016 after Rhoades left in the wake of the previous year’s racial equality protests. Baker left MU at the beginning of Jim Sterk’s tenure to become athletic director at North Texas, where he remained until taking the West Virginia job.”
Again, it’s not clear whether Baker would have any interest in the position or not, but Missouri will certainly consider him to be one of the best, most qualified people for the position. Some sources have suggested that Baker is very happy in West Virginia and will likely stay, while others believe that he’s had a very rough year at WVU with the forced resignation of legendary basketball head coach Bob Huggins and that he could be interested in looking at other jobs. It is very tough to turn down a job in the SEC that is closer to his home, so it will be interesting to see what he decides.
I have no idea what Wren Baker is thinking in regards to the Missouri job, and I don't think anyone else does either, but he's had a really challenging first year at #WVU and it's tough to turn down an SEC job closer to home. Hope he stays.
— The Voice of Morgantown (@voicemorgantown) February 20, 2024
